The Legacy of The "People's President" and His Pursuit of Change

By Sharon Gatebi

A picture of the late Raila Odinga

In the story of Kenya’s democracy, one of the names that echo loudly is "Raila Amolo Odinga". A man who has spent decades walking the thin line between hope and heartbreak, victory and resistance, Raila’s journey mirrors the country’s own struggle for freedom, justice, and identity.

Raila Odinga, was born on 7 January 1945 in the Nyanza province in Siaya. His parents were Mary Juma Odinga and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who served as the first Vice President of Kenya under Jomo Kenyatta.

Raila's childhood unfolded between the classrooms where he joined Kisumu Union Primary then Maranda primary in Bondo and later Maranda High School, where he studied until 1962, when he was transferred by his father to Germany for further studies.

In Germany, he spent the next two years at the Herder Institution, which trained foreign students Germany, he later received a scholarship in 1965 which sent him to the Technische Hochschule (technical college). During his stay in Germany Raila would often cross through Checkpoint Charlie into West Berlin, bringing back goods unavailable in the East for his friends. It was an act of defiance, a glimpse of the bold strength and spirit that would one day define his political life. In 1970 he successful graduated with a Master's Degree in Mechanic Engineering.

In his younger days, Raila Odinga was not only a scholar but also a sports enthusiast, briefly playing as a midfielder for Luo Union the club now known as Gor Mahia. His love for football extended beyond Kenya, as he became a devoted supporter of the English Premier League side Arsenal.

Raila later returned to Kenya 1970 and in 1971 he became the founder of Standard Processing Equipment Construction & Erection Ltd (later renamed East African Spectre), the only company manufacturing liquid petroleum gas cylinders in Kenya. Baptised as an Anglican Christian in his childhood Raila later became a born-again Christian and married Ida Odinga they lived in Karen, Nairobi, and had a second home at Central Farm in Siaya County. The couple were fortunate to have four children: the late Fidel Odinga, Rosemary, Raila Jr. and Winnie. In 1974, Odinga was appointed group standards manager of the Kenya Bureau of Standards and after four years of the position, he was promoted and became the director in 1978 until his detention in 1982.

Raila's detention started with him being placed in house arrest for seven months along side his late father Oginga Odinga for collaborating with the plotters of a failed coup attempt against President Daniel Arap Moi in 1982. Hundreds of Kenyan civilians, rebel soldiers and also several foreigners died in the coup. Odinga was later charged with treason and detained without trial for six years. Among some of the painful experiences he faced during his time in detention was the passing away of his mother in 1984 where they only informed him later after two months.

He was released on 6 February 1988 only to be rearrested again in September 1988 for his pro-democracy and human rights where by Kenya, was then, by law, a one-party state. His encounters with the authoritarian government led to his political followers to nickname him "Agwambo", Luo for "The Mystery" or "Unpredictable", or "Jakom", meaning chairman.

Odinga was released on 12 June 1989, only to be arrested again on 5 July 1990, together with Kenneth Matiba, and former Nairobi mayor Charles Rubia, Odinga was finally released on 21 June 1991, and he later fled to Norway in October due to the increasingly corrupt Kenyan government attempting to assassinate him without success.

During his departure to Norway the forum for the restoration of Democracy was formed (FORD) to agitate the return of multilingualism. He returned to Kenya in 1992 and later resigned to join National Development Party (NDP). His first bid was in 1997 where he finished in third place but retained his position as the MP of Langata. Immediately after the election he appeared besides Mwai Kibaki to denounce the election but he later accepted the position given by Moi which resulted to a new formation on KANU where he became the secretary general replacing Joseph Kamotho.

Dissent ran through the KANU party that led formation of the National Rainbow Coalition as the opposition party in order to defeat Moi's protege Uhuru Kenyatta. Raila declared Kibaki as "tosha" meaning he is enough. He even campaigned on his behalf after he was involved in an accident. On assuming office, President Kibaki did not appoint Odinga as Prime Minister in the new government, contrary to a pre-election Memorandum Of Understanding that led to open rebellion and split among the cabinet.

In 2005 the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)was formed by Raila which was the symbol of "No" vote in the constitutional referendum. Later during the 2007 election Raila lost to Kibaki which led to post election violence where hundreds were killed and displaced. A deal was then made between Raila and Kibaki in order to share power and Raila got the position of the prime minister under Kibaki in 2008.

The next presidential election was in 2013 where Raila lost to Uhuru Kenyatta. Odinga and his team did not attend Kenyatta's April 2013 inauguration, which marked the end of his tenure as prime minister. In 2017 Raila ran again, this time under the National Super Alliance (NASA). The Supreme Court nullified the initial August election results due to irregularities. Having lost the 2017 election to Uhuru Kenyatta Raila had himself sworn in as "the people's president". Later there was a handshake between Uhuru and Raila intended to cool the temperatures of the 2017 elections. The handshake also have birth to the Building Bridges Initiative alias (BBI)

Odinga was appointed High Representative for Infrastructure Development at the African Union Commission in 2018. In 2022 Raila ran as the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party candidate, with Martha Karua as his running mate. He narrowly lost to William Ruto, he then challenged the results in the Supreme Court, but the court upheld Ruto’s victory. Unfortunately later in 2023 he was relieved of his duties in the African Union Commission by the entity, the day after he incited his supporters to violence through mass action.

Raila Odinga has run for president five times (1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, 2022) coming close several times, but never securing the presidency. Despite the losses, he remains one of Kenya’s most influential and enduring political figures even seen.

Kenya nominated Odinga as its candidate for the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) in February 2024. Where Raila sought to harness Africa’s natural and human resources to ensure prosperity, and February 2025, Odinga finished as the runner-up, having been defeated by Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in the chairperson elections which was decided by the member states of the African Union after seven rounds of voting.

Raila Odinga giving a speech

Odinga died from a cardiac arrest in India, on 15 October 2025, at the age of 80. He had collapsed while taking a routine morning walk at the Hospital where he was seeking treatment for diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney.

Raila Odinga remains one of Kenya’s most resilient and influential political figures to even exist, where his impact on Kenya’s democratic, growth and political consciousness is undeniable. To many, he is a symbol of persistence and reform; to others, a voice that has continually challenged systems of power. Whether viewed as a hero, a visionary, or a relentless fighter, Raila’s story continues to shape Kenya’s political landscape and inspire generations to believe in change.